
Nomelets are not omelets, but they can play one at breakfast, brunch, or a casual dinner. Make easy pancakes from chickpea flour and wrap around your favorite filling. The result has the toothsome tenderness of an omelet without any cholesterol or disturbing uncooked gooey parts. It’s gluten-free too. My classic recipe calls for a filling of cooked kale with onions and raisins, but you could use any omelet filling in the wrapper. This stuffed egg-free omelet costs just $1.18 a serving using organic ingredients.
Check out my updated, oil-free nomelet recipe too. Also check out the comparison of these two versions here, with a story about how my recipes have evolved to be healthier and thriftier than when I started this project twelve years ago.

Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed 7 grams
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 cups chickpea flour also called garbanzo bean flour, 120 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Ingredients
Wrapper
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- Make filling. Mince garlic and set aside. Put olive oil or water in a medium pot and heat over medium-low heat. Chop onion and add to the pot, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Rinse kale well, then tear or cut off leaves from stems. Chop stems into 1/4-inch pieces, adding stem pieces to onion mixture as you go. Chop leaves into strips about 1/4-inch wide and 3 inches long.
- When onion is tender, stir in garlic and then stir in kale leaves, raisins, and salt. Cover pot and reduce heat. Let greens steam for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When kale is chewy-tender, remove from heat.
- Make nomelets. Heat ground flax seed and three tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir until the texture becomes eggy. Set remaining water aside.
- Put chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Add remaining water and stir until smooth. Add flaxseed "egg" and olive oil and stir until batter is well combined.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or a griddle on medium. Brush with olive oil. (Make one pancake at a time in a skillet and two at a time on a griddle.) When the skillet is hot, pour batter onto hot surface in a spiral and spread with the back of a ladle to create a thin pancake-like nomelet about seven inches wide. Cook for three or four minutes, until batter is nearly firm and the bottom is golden brown. Flip nomelet and cook until the other side is golden brown, about two minutes. Stack on a plate until ready to serve.
- Assemble and serve. When the nomelets are cooked and the greens tender, spread about 1/4 cup cooked greens in a line just off-center of each nomelet, then fold the longer side over the filling. Best served at once, but they will keep in a warm oven (200°F) for 20 minutes or so. Refrigerate any extra before assembling if possible, for a day or two. Reheat, assemble, and enjoy.